Construction toy



May 12, 1931. A. c. GILBERT CONSTRUCTION TOY Filed May 4 192 2 Sheets-Sheet Patented May 12, 1931 Urrn STATES PAT' oFricE ALFRED C.GILBERT, OF'HAMDEN, CONNECTZCUT, ASSIGNOB, BY M ESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE A. C. GILBERT COMPANY, OF NEW HAVEN CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND CONSTRUCTION TOY This invention relates to toy building construction intended to simulate modern structural steel used in the erection of buildings, bridges, arches, Ferris wheels and similar structures. This invention relates more particularly to a toy building element which may be termed a sector plate, quadrant or connecting piece, adapted for a variety of uses, such as a supporting member for the spokes of wheels of large diameter, (in which use it may be termed a hub plate), a connecting piece for the parts of the supporting frame for such wheels, a bearing supporting plate, a connecting piece for girder elements which are tobe supported and con nected out of alignment with each other but substantially in the same plane, and other uses. i

The principal object of this invention is to provide a toy building element, which will be adapted for the above and similar uses in the making of various toy models.

Other objects of this invention are to pro vide a toy building element, which is adapted to be'connect-ed to another similar element or elements, to form a substantially circular member to which wheel spokes or other building elements may be secured and supported, to be connected to other building elements to form a bearing support, and to be associated'with other building elements such as girders, bearing bushings, etc., to support the same .or be supported thereby.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Q

Fig. 1 is anelevation of a wheel of large diameter, suitable for use as a Ferris wheel orpulley, in the structure of which the building element or elements of this invention hasbeen included; v n

i Fig. 2 is a poirtional face view of the wheel of F 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figgl;

T'Fiei-lt i n e l r n i l .Yi v h w 2. i- 1 tile bi ldmsg ement or i h i n n i n; F1gf51s' a portional view'showing an- Application filcdMayA, 1927. SeriaI No. 188,779.

other use for the building element of this invention; j

Fig. 6 is a section on. line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig.7 is a similar section as that of Fig. (5, a different part being associated with the building elements of this invention;

Fig. 8 is a side view of a building ele ment, embodying the features of this invention, and having another part secured thereto in a novel manner, and i Fig. 9 is a partial elevational view of a structure, wherein the building element of this invention is in use to support a pair of girder elements.

The structure shown in Fig. 1 was selected from various models in which the building element of this invention could be used, as it illustrates two uses for said element. The wheel shown in this figure is composed of a series of sector shaped building elements 10, secured together in the form of a circle, an other similar series being likewise secured together and disposed parallel to the first.

These two series of parts form the'sides of the wheel and are joined together by a series offlat perforated plates 11, which form the faceof thewheel. Spokes 12 formed from straight building elements or strips, radially extend from a center structure 13 to the series of elements 10. The spokesll support the rim of the wheel, and are in turn secured to and supported by the center structure 13.

The center structure 13, in this instance, is composed of a plurality of building elements 14, which embody the principal features of this invention, and are of such shape that hereinafter they will betermed sector plates or quadrants. The sector plates'l are secured together in such a manner that a bearing bushing 15 maybe secured thereto and be disposed at the wheel center. A shaft 16' extends beyond the bushings 15, at

each side of the wheel, at which point: theshaft 16 is journaled in an; opening pro; vided in the sector piece 14, which is sup} ported .bythe building elements or girder strips 18. The girder strips18 areiarranged to form a supporting frame. for'thejwheeh;

and are secured to the supporting plate 14; at one end, and to a base member 19 at the other end thereof, by means of bolts 43. The shaft opening 17 in the part 14 is of such size that a bushing is insert-able therethrough, as shown in Fig. 8-, should such a combination be desired.

The sector plate 1.4 comprises a flat piece of thin metal, preferably punched from sheet metal, and which is of such novel form or contour and is perforated in such a novel manner that it is connectable to various other building elements to form a variety of structures. For instance, in Fig. 4 the plate 14 forms a bearing plate and connecting piece for the upright supports 18 of a supporting frame. In Fig. 5, a plurality of plates 14 form a substantially circular hubplate adapted to support a plurality of spokes to form a wheel, and also to be connected to a bearing or shaft bushing 15, or to a bushing 20, as illustrated in Fig. 7. suitable for a shaft of smaller diameter. In Fig. 8, the plate 14 is shown in detail supporting a journal bushing 20, which extends through the perforation 17 therein, and Fig. 9 illustrates the plate 14 in use as a girder connector, to permit the building of a toy model requiring an offset girder construction, or one wherein a straight strip 22 is offset out of alignment with another strip 23, while being substantially in the same plane.

The peripheral contour of the sector plate 14is irregular,portions of the peripheral edge thereof being at various angles to each other. In this instance, the periphery of plate 14 is composed of edge portions 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 3.0. Of these edge portions 25 and 26 are disposed parallel to each other, the portion 26 being substantially twice as long as the portion 25. The edge portions 27 and 28 are substantially at right angles to each other. and are substantially of equal length whereby the plate 14 maybe termed a fourth part of a circle or quadrant: Each of the edge portions 27 and 28 flare outwardly from an end of the edge portion 25 at an obtuse angle of approximately 135, and are disposed re a Evoly to the portion '26 at an acute angle of a 'ipronimately 45. The edge portions 29 and 80,

each extend from an end of the portion 26 at an obtuse angle thereto, until they intersect the edges 27 and 28 respectively, at which point they are at an acute angle to the edges 27 and 28. The sector plate or quadrant 14. due to its having an outer peripheral edge simulating the arc of a circle, and the inner edge 25 which is spaced from the center of the quadrant, forms what may be termed a flat ring sector.

are spaced fromthe adjacent edge an amount substantially equal to onehalf of the spacing between tl e perforations. The series of perforations adjacent each of the edge portions 29,26 and 30, in this instance, is composed of a perforation 32, elongated parallel to the adjacent edge, and two circular perforations 33 at the edge 26, 34 and 35 at the edge 29, and 36 and 37 at the edge 30, the elongated perforation 32 being interposed in spaced relation between the circular ones. The end circular perforations 35 and 37 of the series adjacent the edges 29 and 30 respectively, are respectively one of a series of spaced apart perforations 38, disposed adjacent the edges 27 and 28.

The series of spaced apart perforations disposed adjacent the edge 25, is composed of two end circular perforations 39, and an intermediate perforation 40. The perforations 39 are each one of the series of spaced apart perforations 38, adjacent the edges 27 and 28. The perforation 40 is elongated in a direction perpendicular to the edge 25, and is one of a series of perforations 41, which extends perpendicular to the edges 25 and 26, and which is intermediate the series 38 adjacent the edges 27 and 28, being disposed substantially at an acute angle of thereto, and directed toward a common center point without the edge 25.

All of the perforations 41 in this series, are elongated lengthwise with respect to the direction of the series, and perpendicular to the edges 25 and 26. In this series, and intermediate to the perforations 41, a shaft opening or perforation 17 is disposed. Perforation 17 is circular in form and may be of somewhat larger diameter than the other circular perforations, in order to be adapted to receive the bushing member 20 or shaft 16. Radiating at substantially right angles to the series of perforations 41, and disposed parallel with the edges 25 and 26 from the perforation 17 as a center, is a series of perforations 42. The perforations 42 are elongated in a direction parallel to the edges 25 and 26, and perpendicular to the direction of the elongation of the perforations 41.

The spacing between the perforations in the plate 14 is such that perforations in other toy building elements will correspond thereto, whereby the parts may be connected together by bolts 43. A plate 44 having perporations therein of proper spaced apart relation, is secured to each of the bushing members 15 and 20, toadapt them for connection with other parts.

A hub plate illustrated in F ig. 5, is substantially circular in form whereby a disklike structure is provided. This plate is provided with a plurality of perforations, adapting the same to be secured to various other toy parts, such as the strips or spokes 12 and the plate 44 of the bearing bushing 15 or 20. In this instance, the hub plate or disk-like structure is formed by joining together a plurality inner edges of the plates to secure the same of plates 14, the edge 28 of one overlapping to the edge 27 of another and being secured thereto by bolts 43 passing through corresponding perforations. Asimilar structure could be formed by abutting the edges 27 of one plate 14 against an edge 28 of another late, and by means of short strap members 45 and bolts 43 securing these plates together, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8. The spacing of the perforations in the strap members 45, is the same as that of the other parts of the construction toy, whereby they will correspond With the perforations adjacent the abutting plate edgeportions.

The hub plate formed in either manner, as referred to above, provides a building unit having a series of perforations extending adjacent its rim portion, a plurality of series of perforations, each series extending radially substantially from the common center toward the rim portion, and a series of perforations 7 arranged in square formation, disposed intermediate the common center and the rim portion. The perforations of every other series of the radially extending ones are elongated, and an enlarged circular perforation is included in the series, the outer perforation of each series of elongated perforations being elongated peripherally adjacent the edge of the rim portion.

WVhile I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the same is not to be limited thereto in all of its details, as many modifications and variations are possible, which will lie within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a construction toy, the combinationof a hub plate comprising a plurality of substantially sector-shaped plates, each of said plates having radially disposed side edges of equal length, an inner edge portion at right angles to the line bi-secting the angle between the side edges, and an outer edge portion joining the ends of the side edges and forming three sides of a dodecagon, each of said plates having perforations equally spaced along the edge portions thereof, the radially disposed side edges of adjacent plates overlapping whereby the perforations therein coincide to receive securing means, each of the inner edge portions being spaced outwardly from the center of the hub plate, a disk-like member having a bushing extending axially outwardly through the opening formed between the inner edge portions of the plates and having a disk-like portion provided with perforations coinciding with the perforations adjacent the inner edges of the plates, and securing means passing through the coinciding perforations in the side edges of the plates and through the perforations in the disk-like member and gether.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my 7 hand this 8d day of May, 1927.

ALFRED C. GILBERT. 

